I will be working again today as usual.
My name is Aurelia Prevoria, the daughter of Baron Loskeller. Though I carry the title of “lady,” I am the second daughter of a poor baron family without land. However, I have a certain skill that allows me to earn a substantial salary and support my family’s finances.
That skill is—well, I was born with the rare ability to use light magic, and I have been entrusted with the task of illuminating the entire castle of the Lucrece Kingdom. Ahem.
The Lucrece Kingdom, once the capital of a great empire and still a major power despite its division, possesses a castle far larger than those of other nations. In fact, it would take a full day to walk from one end to the other.
Every evening, I go around lighting and extinguishing the castle’s many lights. This is a monumental task. Hundreds, if not thousands, of candles would not suffice. Just lighting a single chandelier is an arduous task: lowering it by chains, replacing the candles, and then lighting them... it’s heavy work. Doing this every time there’s a ball or banquet would deplete both the treasury and manpower. Of course, maintaining such luxury is a symbol of status for a great nation, but in reality, it’s a headache for the accounting department.
And that’s where I come in. Every day, I use my magic to light the castle’s lights. In the dressing rooms, I create brighter lights, while for dinners that require a more sophisticated atmosphere, I disperse smaller lights. In the grand hall, I ensure a spotlight shines on the king. With these adjustments, I spend every day walking from the second basement to the seventh floor before evening, using my magic. It’s tough work, but knowing that my unique skill benefits others gives me a sense of fulfillment.
At 3 PM, I head to work. By now, after three years, the gatekeeper recognizes me by sight, so I pass without hassle. My first task is to check today’s schedule with my superior, Count Brenante, the head of the Fourth Finance Department.
I open the door to a room in the castle and greet him.
“Good afternoon, Count Brenante.”
Inside, a middle-aged man with a curled mustache is sitting at a desk. He is the head of the Brenante family, a count family without land, much like my own, and has long served as an official in the castle. He notices me and gestures for me to come closer.
“Ah, Aurelia. Can I have a word?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“There’s a ball tonight that will span three halls. They want a bit stronger lighting for it.”
“Three halls... That’s quite large. It’ll need to be quite bright.”
I imagine the halls in the castle where balls are held. Each hall is spacious enough for the court orchestra’s music to be heard clearly. With two or three halls combined, there will be hundreds of people, making for a very crowded event. Each hall has three massive chandeliers, large enough to fit a carriage underneath, and all of them need to be lit. Doing that manually would take too much time, so magic is the fastest option.
“Indeed. There are security concerns if any areas are too dark, and this is also a matchmaking event for the nobles. They want everyone’s faces to be clearly visible.”
“Haha, I’ll do my best then.”
“And one more thing—try not to wander around too much today.”
“Why’s that?”
“At events like this, there’s always a lot of secret trysts. If you see anything, just quietly leave. Understood?”
“Got it.”
It sounded like it could get complicated if I ran into anyone. Keeping that in mind, I took the schedule Count Brenante gave me and began my rounds, lighting the castle’s rooms.
And then it happened.
At 5 PM, I was casting my light magic on the chandeliers in the ballroom. Raising my hand and chanting, “O Great Light, Lux Magnus,” I watched as sparkling dust swirled and gathered at the center, forming a small sun. The chandelier’s countless glass ornaments reflected the light, making it as bright as daylight despite being indoors. After repeating this for the entire hall, I finally finished the lighting and began making my rounds to light the rest of the rooms.
Since it was my usual route from here on, I let my guard down a little.
In one of the waiting rooms on the third floor of the castle, I noticed the sign indicating it wasn’t in use. So, without knocking, I opened the door.
It was too late when I realized there were two figures embracing inside.
“You! What are you doing?!”
The voice of a slightly hysterical man made me instinctively tremble. I knew instantly I was in trouble.
“M-my apologies! I’m here to light the room.”
I quickly glanced at the man’s face.
It was someone anyone working in the castle would recognize—the second prince of this kingdom, Hugues Lucrece Giselle himself. The woman who hastily moved away from him—who could she be? I had never seen her before. She had the fashionable black curly hair and wore a yellow dress. Besides her heavy makeup, there wasn’t much else that stood out.
Then, the woman started screaming.
"Who do you think we are?! You're just a servant, know your place!"
"My apologies, I will leave immediately."
It seems I had the misfortune of stumbling upon a secret rendezvous. As Count Brenante advised, I should pretend I saw nothing and leave quickly.
However, by the time I turned to go, it was already too late.
An elderly man rushed into the room. Oh no, this is bad. That man is—
"What is going on here?"
With an air of authority, Chancellor Waldnaise of the Lucrece Kingdom had arrived. Ah, he must have been doing his rounds for the ball. I’ve greeted him a few times before, so I’m well acquainted with his face.
The chancellor glared at Prince Hugues and the woman, and with an icy voice, he spoke.
"Well, if it isn’t Prince Hugues and Lady Solange, daughter of Marquis Aflia. Tell me, Prince Hugues, where is your fiancée, Princess Philia, whom you are supposed to be escorting today?"
"Th-that is…"
"Surely you’re not about to tell me you’ve been secretly meeting with Lady Solange?"
The chancellor was completely admonishing Prince Hugues. So, the prince was courting another lady despite being engaged. Ugh, I couldn’t help but feel disdain in my heart. Cheating men are the worst.
The chancellor, ignoring the pair as they averted their eyes in shame, turned to face me.
"You there. You may leave and return to your duties."
"Y-yes, sir."
Grateful for the reprieve, I hurriedly left the room.
After that, I continued my work in silence. By 8 PM, I was back home, handing over the large ham Count Brenante had given me to my mother before sitting down for dinner. Count Brenante is a kind man who, knowing of our family’s struggles, helps us out when he can.
However, even Count Brenante, as a mere bureaucrat, cannot go against orders from above.
A few days later.
When I arrived at Count Brenante’s office as usual, I was completely blindsided by the news.
"I’m sorry, Aurelia. I have to let you go."
Stunned by the sudden statement, I panicked.
"W-what do you mean? Did I do something wrong?"
"…I don’t think you did anything wrong. But Queen Dacia has received a suggestion from Prince Hugues to have you dismissed."
Huh?
Queen Dacia is the second wife of the current king and Prince Hugues' mother. Ah, it all clicked. Prince Hugues, after being thoroughly reprimanded by the chancellor during that rendezvous, must have told his mother to have me dismissed as revenge. How petty.
Count Brenante was rubbing his temples in frustration.
"This came down from one of the officials favored by the queen. Of course, I protested, but…"
It seems even protests were futile.
At this point, there’s nothing I can do. I slumped my shoulders in defeat. Still, Count Brenante had been so good to me, I needed to explain.
"Um, I’m terribly sorry. A few days ago, I happened to witness Prince Hugues meeting with a young lady…"
"Ah, so that’s what this is about? And they’re dismissing you over something so trivial… utterly ridiculous."
Count Brenante let out a deep, exasperated sigh. I nodded in agreement.
“It can’t be helped. I understand. Thank you for everything up until now.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to send some assistance to your family later.”
“Thank you. It would also help if my wages could be sent directly to my family. I’ll be hurrying to find my next job.”
“Understood, I’ll take care of it. Honestly, there’s no one who can easily replace you.”
Once again, Count Brenante sighed deeply. The weight of working under orders from above was clear on his face. I felt terrible, realizing that my actions had caused him such trouble.
Feeling guilty, I bowed my head.
“Thank you for everything. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
With heavy steps, I made my way home.
It had been a well-paying job, but there was nothing I could do. I had to find another job quickly to prevent my family from falling into financial ruin. Apart from me, the only other people who could work were my father and brother, both of whom were police officers. We couldn’t even afford to hire servants. My salary had been practically the sole support of our household, so I had to figure something out.
Sitting around lamenting wouldn’t help. I hurried off to the upscale residential district to ask the young ladies I knew if they had any job leads.
* * *
A week later.
I had left the capital and arrived in the western duchy of Domorax. The Domorax family, one of the most prominent aristocrats in the Lucrece Kingdom, with vast lands often referred to as the “western gateway,” had reportedly been looking to hire magic users.
This gave me a glimmer of hope. In the capital, rumors about the reason for my dismissal had already spread, accusing me of spying on private matters. Though it was clearly Prince Hugues who was in the wrong for having a tryst with someone other than his fiancée, it seemed the prince wanted to paint me as the villain. In such a situation, finding work in the capital had become nearly impossible. Although I considered jobs outside of magic, the reality was that without noble connections, no position would pay enough to support my family.
So, I had no choice but to leave the capital in search of work.
With the money I managed to gather from selling off some household belongings, I traveled by carriage to the Domorax duchy. Upon arrival, I headed straight to the ducal estate.
Walking alongside the towering iron gates that seemed to stretch endlessly upward, I finally reached the large entrance, where two gatekeepers stood. I relayed my purpose to them.
“I heard that the Domorax family is looking to hire magic users. My name is Aurelia Prevoria of the Loskeller barony, and I specialize in light magic.”
The two gatekeepers welcomed me kindly. They told me to wait while they fetched the steward and even lent me a chair to sit on. They were good people.
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